


Mario, Come Home

by Fearlesskiki



Category: Football RPF, Real Person Fiction, Sports RPF
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-07-27 11:12:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7615810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fearlesskiki/pseuds/Fearlesskiki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mario makes a choice for his future once again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bayermund](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bayermund/gifts).



> To the most wonderful girl I met in Tumblr :) How I wish everyone is like you! I'm just really lucky that you chose to talk to this dork in the first place XD Finally there is someone I can nut with! I hope you enjoy this although I think I should write new materials instead of salvage on this again. Lol.
> 
> Also, to everyone else, you have to read her wonderful Hömmels fic  The Last Step :) It's worth it!

Mario taps his fingers on the table, furrowing his brows as he thinks carefully at his options that are laying on the table. Bayern Munich. Borussia Dortmund. Liverpool. Tottenham Hotspur. All of these choices looks tempting but Mario knows none of them are perfect. Each of them has its own significant pros and cons that he needs to weight on. And the top that, Mario is not 21 anymore and that means there is no room for trial and error. He certainly cannot and does not want to make another reckless decision like he did three years ago. Whatever decision he makes, it will probably be the hardest decision for him as that one signature will determine his career for the next few years. It is haunting to even think of it but yet he has to do it. He secretly wants to avoid this matter but his current situation does not allow it. If he still wants to be successful in the football world, he has to make a change as soon as possible. And now that the time of transfer window is running out, he has to make this decision now.

 

The first option is his current club Bayern Munich. Bayern was Mario's choice three years ago. Mario's position was different back then. He was Dortmund's golden boy, comfortable with his position, in fact, he had plenty of play time there. But like all young players, Mario wanted a real challenge in a big team and Bayern seems to be the perfect platform. And since he has Bavarian roots in him, he feels Bayern is like a home to him. But the real deal breaker is Pep Guardiola, which is a manager whom Mario has admired for some time. Mario just felt the transfer was perfect at that time. He had a big dream. He was ecstatic to play for his dream team and dream manager. He even left his beloved boyhood club Borussia Dortmund for it. He left his wonderful teammates, colleagues, bosses, coaches and fans that loved him. He left the world that treasured him to go to the world that he has to fight for a spot to survive. He thought the decision is easy. The glorious and the most successful team in Germany seems like a no brainer for any footballer that wants success but in reality, it does not work for everyone. But back then Mario was young and fearless. He did not think about what might go wrong in the future. He certainly did not foresee his future would be like this, sitting on a bench and praying that he will get a few minutes on the pitch. Mario was one of the victims that became a flop in the eyes of the bosses as he has not lived to the expectations of €37 million. He did tried his best in Germany's best club for the past three years, but his efforts do not seem to be fruitful. He is not what Pep Guardiola wanted in the system and that is why he could not shine in the team. He had some subpar performance in the first year, then his role in the club gradually turn smaller. Mario had tried talking with his bosses and fought for his place in the team but nothing seems to change. And then injuries come along and makes matters worse. What seems like a good option three years ago is not so good anymore. Mario starts to question himself. Why did he choose to transfer? Why did he fix something that is not broken in the first place? Why did he make his life so stressful? He could have stayed in Dortmund. He could have been happy in Dortmund. However things might change in the new season as Bayern has just hired a new manager. Since Mario still has a year of his contract with Bayern, maybe he could start afresh and redeem himself with the new manager. Just maybe.

 

Mario moves on to the next option. Tottenham looks like a good option too. The club is currently 3rd in the Premier League. They have a nice line up with Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris in the team. Apart from the lineup, England and Premier League seems like a lovely environment to stay too. Maybe he could just wipe off everything and start from a new environment. But new environment also means everything is unknown and uncertain. It also seems like a big gamble. Being in a league and city that he knows nothing about? Will he able to cope the different playing style and culture in the Premier League? Could he fit into the team? Would he able to get a starting position from there? All these uncertainties scare him.

 

But there is also Liverpool. It is not the most flashy team in the league. The only reason Mario is considering this option is because of his former coach Jürgen Klopp. Klopp is the one that nurtures him, the one that understands him the most and the one that makes the best out of his talents. Klopp has talked to Mario about his plans and Mario has seriously considering it. He had even gone to the city to survey about the life in Liverpool. But apart from Klopp, Mario is not familiar with anyone else in the team and he feels like it is not the time to experiment it. He has seen his senior Bastian Schweinsteiger starting in a new league with Manchester United but did not work well. His best friend André also had a short stint at Chelsea but he could not shine either. Looking at all those examples makes him think twice about going abroad. Another factor that causes Mario to hold back is that Liverpool is not in its brightest years. In fact, it is in the process of rebuilding a foundation after the hurricane caused by the previous manager. It is currently 8th in the Premier League and they are not even qualified for Champions League next season. This is certainly a big step back from Bayern. So, Liverpool is probably not the wisest choice for him.

 

And then there is Borussia Dortmund, the childhood club. But is going back to his ex-club a wise choice? There is a saying that a man should never look backward. Mario has never thought about going back to Dortmund until recently. Somewhere within his mind he realises he probably should stay in Dortmund in the first place. He wonders how it would be like if he stayed at Dortmund. Maybe he would win one of those trophies that Bayern ended up winning. But right now there is no use of reminiscing as he cannot change the past. What he could change is the future. It is true that Dortmund is his home and but within three years, there is already a significant amount of changes in the club. They have a new manager, Thomas Tuchel who was also from Mainz. Tuchel’s style is quite different to Klopp’s and Mario wonders if he could adapt to it. But that said, Tuchel is still undeniably a great coach. He was the one that makes the Dortmund boys re-found their form when the boys were falling into pieces. From the way the Dortmund manager pitches Mario to come back, he could feel that there is hope. Tuchel already has plans on how to work with him and Mario finds it very convincing. However, there is also a significant change of players since Mario left the club. Some of the players he used to play with like Robert, Mats, Kevin, and İlkay are not on the team anymore. Mario has never worked with the newer players like Pierre, Adrián, and Gonzalo. He wonders if he could get along with them. But he probably shouldn't be too worried about it. There is still Marco, Roman, Neven and Marcel. Mario hopes his on pitch chemistry with Marco did not totally fade away. But maybe he is just overthinking. They probably still have it in them. They are still international teammates in those three years after all so they were not totally apart from each other. There is also Erik and Matthias where he had played together on the National team. Maybe it could still work.

 

"Hey, what's up?"

 

Mario lifts his head up from the phone screen as soon as he hears a voice. It is Marco standing in front of him with a blue plaid shirt and skinny jeans paired with a lopsided smile. Mario smiles back at him and invites him to sit at the same table. It feels like an eternity since they had a proper hangout session with just the two of them. It feels weird that the reason he asks Marco out is to talk about the transfer. But he has no choice. He really wants to talk with someone and listen to some advice. He had tried talking to his family about it but they did not give much useful advice and just let him make his own decision. Sometimes he wishes he is not a grown up so he does not need to make these decisions. Since Marco is his best friend and a professional footballer, he decides to talk with Marco as the Dortmund player knows what is best for him.

 

"So, how's life?" Marco opens the conversation with a bright smile on his face.

 

Life? Life is pretty complicated right now and to be honest, Mario has no idea where to start talking.

 

"Good. It's just..." Mario pauses, hesitant to speak about the issue that has been bothering him.

 

"Just what? The transfer?" Marco completes his sentence.

 

"How did you-" Mario utters.

 

"Well, it's all over the news." Marco continues. Marco looks at Mario in the eye, making the latter anxious. Mario lowers his head and starts fiddling his fingers. He then realises Marco has looked away as well, hailing for the waiter from his seat. It makes him a little relaxed as Marco does not put so much pressure on him. When the waiter arrives, Marco orders cappuccino and Mario just follow whatever the former has. Honestly speaking, Mario could not think about what to drink as his mind is too clustered with the transfer issue. Silence creeps in again once the waiter left. Mario could hear Marco huffs as the latter looks away, arms crossing and his smile turns into a snarky one as he breaks the silence.

 

"I thought you were happy in Munich. Aren't you satisfied with Bayern? Hmm? Wasn't that your dream team?"

 

Mario has expected some jab in this time around. But nonetheless, when the sarcasm hits, it pierces Mario's heart like an arrow. And when Marco is the one saying it, it doubles the pain. But Mario could not blame his buddy for being bitter even after three years. He certainly has the right to. Marco was indeed one of those who were against his decision to play for Bayern. He even begged Mario to stay but the foolish boy ignored his best friend. Mario could guess that his buddy is shouting 'I told you so' in his mind. The Bayern player takes a deep breath and utters,

 

"I... I... I'm starting to regret about my choice of going to Bayern."

 

Marco narrows his eyes and bites his lower lip as he gives a long and hard stare to Mario. He takes a deep breath and opens his mouth. "Mario, leave Bayern. I'm not saying this because I don't like the club. I'm saying this for your own good. Your future. Face the truth, Mario! They are not going to play you anymore! Even the new coach had hinted you! There's no future in Bayern! They wanted you to leave! Isn't that clear enough?" Marco pauses and glances around the room, realises everyone in the cafe is watching him and Mario. He squirms back to his chair and continues with a sheepish tone. "I'm sorry for being so dramatic."

 

Tears start to well up in Mario's eyes as he nods to his buddy's words. Often the truth is the cruel and hardest thing to accept. Marco is speaking the utmost truth and that is what hurts the most. Mario feels like a lost puppy now, waiting for his abandoned owner that will never claim him. If he could not stay in Bayern, where should he go? Dortmund? But would Dortmund want him back? He soaks up all the tears before he braces up and asks the ultimate question, "Well... uh... to be honest, did you hate me for leaving Dortmund?"

 

"Yes! No! I mean... I hate playing without you. I think that's quite obvious. Of course, I would want you to stay but I can't force you to. That was your choice. But it's never too late to make another choice. Mario, come home. I miss you." Marco stretches out his hand to grab Mario's, holding it immensely. Those words melt Mario's heart and tears start to fill up his eyes again. He knew Marco wants to be reunited with him but he never knew it was this much. He could feel Marco gripping his hand tighter as the Dortmund player continues to talk. "You know what I wanted all along. I want you. I want you to come back. To play with me. To win titles with me. We can do this, Mario!"

 

"But-" Mario pauses. Mario certainly wants to play with Marco too. But the reality is always not as easy as it seems. Not everyone wants Mario to come back. In fact, the yellow wall has made a bold statement to ask him to stay away from the club. Mario could understand why they did that. The betrayal he did to them the last time was indeed harsh. Their golden boy left them to a rival team. Who would not feel salty? 

 

"I know you're thinking about the fans. It’s not going to be easy but I believe time will heal everything. As long as you have good performances, which I believe you will, the fans won’t hate you forever. Trust me. They will accept you. Whoever doesn't I will make sure they do, okay? I won't let anyone hurt my Sunny." Marco says.

 

Mario flashes a smile as a response to Marco. He agrees that he has to win the yellow wall slowly. It is not something that can be done easily but Mario is ready to make amends. There are a few instances of fans disagree with player changes but results change everything. Like when his teammate Manuel join Bayern, the local fans were so against him but now every Bayern fan loves Manuel. Maybe he could do this in Dortmund too.

 

Marco continues to babble, "I'm sure we are able to help each other to play better. Well, don't worry about Mr. Tuchel. He may look like a harsh guy from the outside but deep down inside he's another papa Klopp. And oh, I'm sure you will love Auba when you get to know him better. Also, when Schü is here, we are going to be the Dortmund Three Musketeers like in the National team."

 

"Wait, what? Schü is going to Dortmund?" Mario interrupts. 

 

"Yeah, you didn't know that? You're such a lousy friend." Marco razzes him.

 

Their conversation is interrupted by Marco's phone buzzing sound. Marco excuses himself and takes the phone call. While waiting for his buddy, Mario takes the time to look around the cafe. Several people in the cafe recognise him and smiles at him, Mario smiles back at them too. A young girl comes over and asks for a selfie which he cheerfully agrees. When Mario is finally left alone, he glances his phone and decides to call his agent.

 

"Hello? Yeah, I've decided."

 

It is a short and simple call. Mario flashes a smile when he ends the call. The knot within the heart is now opened. He may still have a lot to prove, but he is not worried because he knows he is at home.


	2. Chapter 2

[](http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/Yvonne_Chia/media/Book%20Cover/1111%20copy_zpsmfkb2blw.jpg.html)

**Author's Note:**

> Real life incidents are quite addictive to write about *laughs* My previous works 'Closed For Football' and 'Only The Heart Knows' are written in an observer's POV but I decided to write this one in the main character's POV because it fits better. But like all my works, they are all fiction and have no relation to the real people and incidents. I'm pretty sure the real thing is not so dramatic *laughs*
> 
> The title comes from Snoopy, come home.
> 
> If you like it please give me a kudos. Share it with your friends. Please tell me anything in the comments and I will try my very best to improve :) Every kudos, comment, subscription and bookmark means the world to me. Thank you :D
> 
> Yeah, you can follow me on [Tumblr](http://fearlesskiki.tumblr.com/) and [join the FBD Book Club!](https://footballblogsdirectory.tumblr.com/post/160746377878/welcome-to-the-fbd-book-club-this-is-a-place-to)


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